Feature nChat - nself-org/cli GitHub Wiki

Feature: Ι³Chat

Ι³Chat is an open-source self-hosted messaging application built on Ι³Self. It provides real-time team and personal chat with video calls, bots, moderation, and white-label support.

Status: Active Repo: nself-org/nchat (Type C reference app) Marketing site: chat.nself.org (web/chat/) Platforms: Web (Next.js 15). Mobile (Capacitor) and Desktop (Electron, Tauri) are scaffolded but not shipped.

What Ι³Chat Does

Ι³Chat is a self-hosted Slack/the community chat alternative. You run it on your own Ι³Self server, and your team connects via web browser or (eventually) native apps. All messages, files, and call recordings stay on your hardware.

Current Features

  • Real-time messaging. Powered by Hasura GraphQL subscriptions. Messages appear instantly across all connected clients.
  • Multi-workspace support. Run multiple isolated workspaces on a single server. Each workspace has its own channels, members, and settings.
  • White-label configuration. AppConfig-driven branding. Change name, logo, colors, and domain for each workspace.
  • 8 test users (dev mode). FauxAuth provides instant login for development and testing without real authentication.
  • Production auth. Nhost authentication with OAuth providers, email/password, and MFA.
  • Web platform. Next.js 15 application with responsive design.

With Pro Plugin Bundle

The Ι³Chat plugin bundle adds:

Plugin What It Adds
chat Channel types (public, private, DM), typing indicators, read receipts, reactions, threads
livekit Video and audio calls (WebRTC via LiveKit)
recording Call recording and playback
moderation Content filtering, user reports, admin actions
bots Bot framework for automated responses and integrations
realtime Enhanced WebSocket support for presence and live updates
auth Advanced auth features (SSO, SAML, LDAP integration)

Architecture

Ι³Chat follows the standard Ι³Self reference app pattern:

β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”
β”‚  nChat Client (Next.js 15)       β”‚
β”‚  - Channels, DMs, threads        β”‚
β”‚  - Video calls (LiveKit)         β”‚
β”‚  - File sharing                  β”‚
β”‚  - Emoji reactions               β”‚
β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜
           β”‚ GraphQL subscriptions + REST
           β–Ό
β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”
β”‚  nSelf Backend                    β”‚
β”‚  - Hasura (messages, channels)   β”‚
β”‚  - Auth (users, sessions)        β”‚
β”‚  - MinIO (file attachments)      β”‚
β”‚  - nChat plugins (chat, livekit) β”‚
β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜

The client connects to Hasura for all data operations. Real-time updates use GraphQL subscriptions over WebSocket. File uploads go through MinIO. Video calls use LiveKit's WebRTC infrastructure, self-hosted on your server.

Setup

# Basic setup (free plugins only)
nself init
nself build && nself start
# nChat web app connects to Hasura directly

# With Pro plugins
nself license set nself_pro_xxxxx...
nself plugin install chat livekit recording moderation bots realtime auth
nself build && nself start

Distinction: chat/ vs chat.nself.org

These are two different things:

chat/ repo chat.nself.org
What Open-source chat client app Marketing website
Code nself-org/nchat web/chat/ (in web monorepo)
Hosted by Users, on their own servers Ι³Self, on nself.org
Purpose Production messaging app Feature overview, download links

Pricing

Ι³Chat itself is free and open-source (MIT). The Ι³Chat plugin bundle for advanced features costs $0.99/mo or $9.99/yr. The Ι³Self+ subscription ($49/yr) includes the Ι³Chat bundle along with everything else.

Planned Features

  • Mobile apps. Capacitor (iOS/Android) shells are scaffolded. Native push notifications planned.
  • Desktop apps. Electron and Tauri shells are scaffolded.
  • React Native. Not started. Under consideration for native mobile workflow.
  • End-to-end encryption. Planned for DMs and private channels.
  • Federation. Planned exploration of Matrix protocol compatibility for cross-server messaging.

Related Pages

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